Wire-stretcher



(No Model.)

J. R. MBRIDETH.

WIRE STRETGHER.

N0.377,l69. Patented Jan. 31, 1888.

lilNTTnn STATES ATnNT Tirreno WIREBSTRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,169, dated January 31, 1888.

Application filed October 13, 1887.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jol-1N R. MERIDETH, of Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, vhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in IVireStret-ehers, and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

In wire-stretchers used in putting up wire fences much difficulty has been experienced from various causes, such as the frequent breaking of the stretchingtool, rendering it useless, some not lasting for a single day, others not affording a strong enough hold on the wire, others not any, or an insufcient leverage, or requiring too great an expenditure of strength, while many are of a complex character.

The lobject of my invention-the result of a long experience in building wire fences-is to furnish a strong, simple, and eflicient tool not liable to get out of order, easily made by any iron-worker or blacksmith, having substantially the power, strength, and leverage of a erowbar, and efficient whether the fence-wire be barbed or plain.

rIhe nature ofthis improved device will readily appear from the following description.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a View of the tool while in operation, and Fig. 2 a perspective view.

A is a stoutstrong iron or steel bar-say three or four feet in length-resernbling somewhat acrowbar, having at its wire-stretching end a claw, b, curved substantially in ashort arc of a circle, as shown at c, and having, preferably, at its other cxtremitya chisel or cutting-edge eapable of cutting off a wire by a thrust of this end of the bar upon the wire when lying on a block, stone, or rail.

B is an eccentric or cam lever pivoted by a stout pin or journal, d, to an ear or projection, e, on the bar near the claw, rlhis eccentric or lever is so hung on its pivot that when turned in one direction it will tightly bind between itself and the bar any wire lodged therein,and

Serial No. 252,233. (No model.)

when turned in the opposite direction will release or set free such wire.

Supposing a fence to be under construction and the wire rst secured to any one of the fence-posts, it is then passed along to and past other posts*say three, four, or five-to that one at which it needs to be stretched. lIhe wire is then put into the claw and under the eccentric and the lever pressed down enough t0 hold the wire firmly. rIhe claw end of the bar is then put against the fence-post, the whole bar being in a horizontal position,and the operator then walks around the post, thus giving the wire all the stretch necessary. Staples,

as usual, are then driven in this post and into the preceding posts to secure the wire in its stretched condition to these posts.

It will be seen thatin operating my improved stretcher the notch of the claw affordsa guide and hold for the wire, while the eccentric clinches it positively,and that the whole length of the bar is available for leverage, so that a man could easily with one hand put enough strain upon any fence-wire to break it,because it is held near the claw end of the bar both by the claw and the lever,while the whole length` of the bar serves for leverage.

I find by months of practical use of my device that I can do more than double the work with it that I can with any other with which I am acquainted, and, notwithstanding the rough usage such implements get, I find that mine has never got out of order, but seems, like the common erowbar, to be able to stand all sorts of use and abuse and yet remain an effective tool.

As before stated, the chisel-like end of the bar serves to eut off a wire, and also may be used in digging post-holes. The claw end is also useful either in lifting or removing a post, and also for withdrawing staples,and for withdrawing the staples and their inclosed wire by inserting the claws under the wire. rIlhis tool may be made entirely of steel,wrought-iron,or malleable iron; or, it' preferred, the end parts only may be of metal, and these ends socketed and connected together by a bar of wood.

l. A wire-stretcher consisting of a bar, A,

having at one' of its extremities the curved wire-holding claws b, and having an upwardlyprojecting ear, e, on one of such claws, combined with t-heeccentric or cam B, pivoted on 5 such ear and serving to clamp the wire close toand in line with the crotch of the claw, all as shown and described.

2. The described Wire stretching implement, consisting of the bar having the claws, the ear JOHN R. MERIDETH.

Witnesses: I

M. O. SoUTHWoRTH, MILTON DENNEY. 

